Accepting the Liebester Award

Last week I was awarded the Liebester Award by the lovely Rachel at vintagepress.ca. If you would, hop over there after this post and check out her blog. It’s full of wonderful college advice, recipes, and book reviews. You certainly can’t get much better than that. Anyhow, I’m very thankful for the award, so I guess we should jump to the questions!

What inspired you to become a blogger?I think it was inevitable that I would eventually start a blog. Writing has been a lifelong passion, so keeping a blog is a big creative outlet for me. I’m also painfully introverted, so the thought of meeting awesome people without having to deal with social awkwardness definitely encouraged me to introduce myself to the blogging community.

Why do you blog about what you blog about?Travel is a rather strange addiction for me, so keeping a travel blog is a good way to combine wanderlust with writing, even when I’m not exploring a new destination. While I’m not anything like the full-time travel bloggers (who are huge inspirations), I still think that I can reach a unique audience— Twenty-somethings who would love to live out of a suitcase, but don’t have the opportunity to study abroad each semester. I want to connect with these people and encourage them to keep exploring the world at every opportunity!

How long have you been blogging?Goodness. This is a hard one to configure. Maybe since 2012? Yeah, I think that’s right. First there was the failed Jane Austen site. My Les Miserables/Musical blog came after that. At some point and time I started writing for A Pinch of Classy. Oh, and then there was my failed attempt at a personal/writing centered blog. Basically I wasn’t very good at sticking through the early stages of blogging. It intimidated me, and so did the blogging community. Like I said, extreme introversion….

What is your background? Arizona born and (mostly?) raised until my family moved to Arkansas when I was twelve. Currently I’m living in the Texas Panhandle, and my family has been here for nearly five years. My father is a pastor, so we traveled quite a bit when I was young. I was homeschooled (a wonderful experience) until I moved on to university life. Now I attend Wayland Baptist University where I’m a sophomore with dreams of extensive study abroad for grad school.

Is blogging your full-time job?I wish! Actually, I really do love my summer job as a nanny. Although, I am ready to take a break and get back to school where I will hopefully be working as an editor/writing tutor for my university’s English department.

What makes you keep blogging?The words and the people. First off, writing gives me so much joy. It’s so wonderful to have the chance to share my thoughts with others. That brings us to the people. I’ve met so many unique and wonderful individuals in the past few months, and it’s inspiring to see so many people chasing after their dreams.

What is your dream vacation?If someone could set up a small cottage in Ireland with a view of the coast for me and my best friend, that would be perfect. Just give us some books and journals, and we would be very happy, vacationing hermits.

Biggest inspiration in life?My best friend, Carissa, certainly deserves this title. Despite having to battle Lyme disease, she’s a published author and one of the strongest people I know. Her sense of humor is on point, and she manages to pull me out of my discouraged moods when no one else can. Not to mention that she’s ridiculously loyal and makes an effort to be kind to everyone… And I should probably stop before this turns into a “my best friend is better than your best friend” situation. I’ll just end by saying that I love her dearly, and my life wouldn’t be the same without her.

Best and worst blogging decision you ever made?My worst decision was to give up in the early stages of previous blogging attempts. I don’t often give up, but in high school, I let established blogs intimidate me. I allowed myself to think that my words were somehow less important because I didn’t have as many followers or a super professional blog. However, I eventually came to realize that what I had to say was important, and I started blogging again. That eventually built up to my best blogging decision yet, which was to join the Her Campus Bloggers Network. It’s such a huge motivator for me to keep trying my hardest and learning how to become a better writer.

Would you ever consider rebranding?Most definitely, especially if I were to travel or blog full-time. However, I’m currently very content with everything other than not having my own domain (I really should get on top of that…). Word On My Page allows me to write about all of my passions, mostly travel and literature, while giving me permission to occasionally ramble.